This application is related to commonly assigned application Ser. No. 784,051, filed on even date herewith and based on German Priority Application P 34 36 541.9, filed in Germany on Oct. 5, 1984.
The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for releaseably holding a vehicle passenger head rest, at a vehicle seat back or the like. Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to an arrangement for securing the end position of a guided support rod of a headrest, wherein a recess is provided at the free end of the support rod into which a spring-loaded catch engages when the maximum pull-out length of the headrest is reached, this catch being releasable via a remote control device extending from the upper side of the backrest.
A securing arrangement for the end position that is releasable in this way is known from DE-OS 21 38 078. In that case, the remote control device is comprised of a strap that is applied to the spring. However, the released position is only maintained as long as the strap is pulled, so that only one hand is available for the pulling-out of the headrest. This restriction makes the headrest removal process difficult.
It is an objective of the invention to create a possibility of being able to remove the headrest with both hands when the catch is released without sacrificing safety. Thus, the release means remains in a released position without requiring the operator to manually exert a force on the said release means in the preferred embodiments of the present invention.
In an advantageous development of the preferred embodiments of the invention, an operating rod of the locking release means tapers off into a slider equipped with a control path, and a catch with a feeler portion that is assigned to the control path in such a way that when the maximum pull-out length of the headrest is reached, the feeler portion comes to rest against a section of the control path that is close to the support rod, and when the spring-loaded operating rod is pressed down, the feeler portion moves up an inclined surface of the control path and engages into a notch that is spaced further from the support rod, such that the catch is lifted far enough out from the free end of the support rod that the recess and head sections of the support rod can be moved past the catch.
A further advantageous development of the invention is that by means of the design of the support rod and catch, when the headrest is reinserted after removal, the support rod clears the catch until the inclined recess passes the catch, wherein the catch engages the surface of the control rod and subsequently disengages the remote control release means.
In certain preferred embodiments, the operating rod of the catch release mechanism is spring biased toward a position permitting the catch to lock the support rod at its desired extreme in use end position with reinsertion of the supported operating to automatically reset the catch to serve its locking function.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.